Way of the Warrior
by bits of glass
Summary: Brick appears to have finally grown a coscience, and wishes to repent for his past mistakes. But will walking the path of a hero prove to difficult? Most likely, if everyone hates you.
1. Fun Times

((This story runs parallel to my other story, "Undone", but this chapter is like a month or so before the start of it.))

"Please, stoooooop!" the boy screamed as Brick tossed him to Butch. The boy was small, nerdy, homely, and friendless, so Brick and Butch, in their boredom, decided to play catch with him… 2 miles above the streets of Townsville. Butch caught him roughly out if the air by his ankle. The boy yelped, but Butch only laughed.

"Dude, we shoulda thoughta this a long time ago!" he reeled back and threw the boy hard to Brick who caught him by the nape of his neck and his belt.

"Hey, check this out." He looked off to his left and, with his super-vision, spotted the Powerpuff's, where inside was his lame-ass brother. He had been spending a lot of time with those goody-goody Powerpuffs, and was almost acting mad at his brothers lately and Brick couldn't figure out why. He and Butch were just having fun after all, sure they played rough but they never did any permanent damage… to any people anyway… that he knew of. "Hey Boomer!" he called so loud that the boy in his hands wince and covered his ears. "Heads up!" Brick spun around very fast several times then launched the boy towards the giant box they called a house. The two ruffians chuckled as they watched the terrified youth rocket towards the house. Brick had hoped that he'd fly through their window, but Boomer had heard him yelling, and rushed out to catch him just before he hit the house. Butch started howling with laughter. "Dude! Look at 'im! Haha! He is gonna be so pissed when we get home!"

"I know," Brick was laughing to, but not as hard as Butch, something didn't feel quite right. "Hey, they know we're just playin' around right?"

"Huh?"

"All the people we fuck with. They know we're just fuckin' with 'em right? They know we ain't hurtn' anyone." Butch arched an eyebrow. "Well," Brick shrugged, "Ain't hurtin' nobody _bad_, anyway." Over the years Bricks love of evil had changed into only caring about having 'fun' with his brothers. Be it randomly stealing something, blowing stuff up, or fighting with those annoying pests, the Powerpuff Girls, it was all about having fun.

"Aw, who cares? Fun is fun, don't matter what no one thinks, all that matters is that we have a good time!" Butch grinned evilly the whole time, and Brick only nodded.

"Yeah, I guess your right." He said watching Boomer go back into the house as Bubbles flew off to the hospital, nerd in hand.

"Come on, man, don't let that pansy boy get ya down he don't know how to have fun anymore, lets go hit the arcade or somthin'."

&

Later that night...

The door to the cabin flew open and Brick and Butch came tumbling in. They rolled to a stop with Butch pinning Brick to the floor. "One!" Butch yelled. "Two!" Brick struggled beneath Butch's grip and almost broke free, but in the end, "Three!" Butch back flipped into the air leaving Brick on the cabin floor laughing. "The winner and still champion... BUUUTCH THEEEE BUTCHEEEER!!!"

"Dude that's so gay," Brick chuckled sitting up. "We need to find you a new wrestlin' name." he hopped into the air and floated over to the couch landing behind it and leaning against the back of it.

"Yeah? What's _your_ lame-ass name again?" Butch sneered

"...Red." The two were quiet for a moment before bursting into laughter. Butch hopped over the arm of the couch plopping down across from Boomer, who had quietly been ignoring the two. Brick, however, was not content with being ignored. "And what's up with you, Boom Boom?" He asked ruffling the blue Ruff's hair. He sneered knowing how much Boomer hated that name.

"Fuck off, fire crotch!" Boomer smacked Bricks hand away sending an unexpected static jolt through the red heads arm, making him stumbling backwards holding his arm.

"Lil' bastard stung me!" Even when he was angry, Brick was always a smart ass.

"Oh, feisty tonight aren't we pussy boy?"

"Shut your fuckin' mouth, Butch!" Obviously Boomer was not in the best of moods, meaning Brick would have to find out why, because the whole acting like a bitch thing was not going to fly with him.

"Dude, what the hells your problem? Those Powerpuffs fuckin' with ya?" Brick may have picked on Boomer a lot, but he always made sure that he and Butch were the only ones picking' on him.

"He's probably mad because they _aren't_ fuckin' with 'im." Butch chuckled as Boomer glared at him. Brick hopped over the back of the couch and plopped down between his brothers, and felt Boomer tense up. _'What the hell is up with him?'_

"Shut up, Butch." Brick turned to Boomer. "Seriously, bro, you ok?" Boomer shot an icy, un-Boomerlike glare at Brick. Brick considered himself very close to his brother's. They were all he had. And to have one of them looking at him like they were ready to rip his throat out took him by surprise, and shook him up a little.

"No, Brick," the blond spat. "I'm **not** okay, and since when do you give a shit if I'm okay or not?!"

"What's that supposed to mean, dude? You're my brother, of course I… care," he winced as Butch sniggered at Brick's awkward position.

"Really, 'cause last time I checked all you cared about was havin' a fuckin' party by makin' people suffer!" Brick arched an eyebrow. Had he really lost touch that badly with his blue-clad brother?

"The hell? Alright, you're pissin' me off now dude. You don't like the way we have fun, you don't hafta, but don't criticize us 'cause our opinion of a good time is different than yours!"

"You guys are boring." Butch got off the couch, hooked up their X-box, and plopped down two feet from the TV screen.

"You're opinion of a 'good time' is blowin' shit up and beating the living hell outta people… You're going to be criticized!!" Brick had never seen Boomer this pissed off, and it was pissing him off too.

"First off;" Brick held up one finger. "blowin' shit up is fun and you know it, second;" he held up his second finger. "the only people we beat the living hell outta are those color coded cunts you been hangin' out with!"

"What about the kid you chucked me earlier, huh? He ain't no Powerpuff!"

"We didn't hurt him, we just messed with him a little!"

Boomer's eyes narrowed. "You broke every bone in both his arms, shattered his ankle and gave him whiplash, along with untold mental trauma. I'd hate to see you 'mess' with a little kid." Brick shook his head, taken aback. Yeah they roughed the kid up a little, but they couldn't have hurt him _that_ bad.

"You're exaggerating, you hafta be."

"I went in to see the kid Brick, he started screamin' his ass off the minute he saw me, 'cause he knew I was your brother!" Brick was silent for a moment; shocked he could have actually hurt someone that badly.

"Wel-well so what?! I'm sure he'll get over it in no time." He turned his head to watch Butch play whatever mindless game he was playing.

"Normal guys don't heal as fast as we do Brick!" this thought had never occurred to him before. "This kid'll never walk right again, and he'll probably hafta see a shrink for God knows how long!!"

Brick looked at Boomer again, he wasn't sure what to say. "I-" there was no way he and Butch had messed that kid up so much with just a little game. "Well that'll teach 'im to stay the hell outta our park then!"

Boomer stood up muttering some derogatory comment. "Where you think your goin', Blue Boy?"

"Doesn't matter," Butch chimed in. "He knows we're gonna make fun of 'im anyway."

"Yeah, and I don't give a shit!" Boomer snapped. "All my life I've been to worried about what you fuck-tards think to do what makes me happy!!" Brick stood up, listening intently. He had know idea that was how Boomer really felt. He hadn't meant all those times he picked on Boomer, he was just trying to be funny. He had no idea he was hurting him. "Well not any more! I used to think I needed you guys. That despite how much you hated me, we were a family! But now I see all you guys are and will ever be are just a couple of weak, no good, thugs, and I don't give a shit what you think of me anymore!" Boomer's eyes seemed to be tearing up. "You guys are worthless to me now…" He pinched his eyes closed and looked away. "You guys ain't my brothers."

"Brick was truly hurt by this. He had no clue that all these years he was causing Boomer so much pain. That he was hurting one of the only people he really gave a shit about. "Boomer-" whatever Brick was about to say was cut off by Butch's loud raucous laughter.

"You're kidding!! Ah-hahahaha! Look at little drama-king, 'boo-hoo no one loves me'! Hee hee haahaaa! Hey, hey," he clapped a hand on Brick's shoulder. "Watch were you step in here, dude, his guts are all over the floor." Butch continued laughing, leaning on Brick for support, while Boomer opened the window by the TV ready to take off.

"Boomer wait!" Brick called

"Save it, dude." And in a blue flash he was gone, off into the night sky.

"Oh, wow," Butch chuckled. "What a pan-" Butch was cut off as Brick whirled around and punched Butch square in the face sending him to his back. "What the hell dude?!" Brick didn't respond, as he walked down the hall they added after kicking Fuzzy out, and to the room at the end of it, slamming it after him. "A-hole…" Butch muttered as he resumed his game in front of the TV.


	2. What if?

Brick had been pacing back and forth in his room for almost an hour. His confrontation with Boomer burning in his mind, making him question his entire outlook on everything he'd ever known. He thought he knew his brothers, thought they were close. But the Boomer he'd seen in there was defiantly not the one he knew. And what about all these years of what he called fun? Were those, to, not what he had thought?

"Dammit!" Brick growled as he fell back onto his bed. _'This total bull…'_ Brick was smart. Not book-smart like Blossom, he didn't attend school or study at all, but normally situations like this were nothing for him to figure out. And he still didn't know what to do. 'Boomer likes to exaggerate, but what if he's right?' the thought popped into his head many times, and made him feel some horrid feeling that he'd never before experienced, and when he thought about what Boomer said about his and Butch's fun…

Boomer had to be wrong, that was all there was to it. _'Why don't I go check the kid out myself?'_ Brick smacked himself in the forehead. "Duh." He was annoyed with himself for not thinking of it earlier, but quickly got over it as he cruised out his window towards the hospital. As the cool night air swept passed him, Brick looked down at the glowing town beneath him. Cars crept along like ants far below and the lights in the building gave it an artful look that from above looked almost surreal. "Huh…" Brick began to feel better as he watched the scenery below, and wondered how he could've overlooked something as cool as that for so long. Caught in his new appreciation for Townsville, he almost passed the hospital. He flew low and dropped onto the roof. _'Kay, lets figure out were this kid is.'_ Brick closed his eyes and focused. He had the ability to feel brain waves and through this he could read thoughts, so finding the right kid would be easy. Several minutes passed before Bricks crimson eyes snapped open and he hovered down several floors and to left several windows, until he found the one he wanted, which was conveniently left open. He glided in and slowly hovered towards the lone bed.

Both of the boys arms were in casts, he wore a neck brace, he had bandages over the left side of his face, covering his eye, and his entire right leg was elevated and in a cast. Brick winced and Boomer's voice echoed in his head, _"__Normal guys don't heal as fast as we do Brick!"_ This made him feel sick to his stomach, and thank God that the kid was asleep. He had no idea what he'd say if the poor child were awake. "…sorry, kid." Brick whispered, as he stared on, in total disgust of the crime he'd committed. Now he understood why the girls always got in the way of him and his brothers. Roughing them up was no big deal, but regular people had no way to defend themselves. They were fragile, and one punch, hell one love tap, would be like a bullet through paper. He could've easily killed this kid, without even meaning to.

'_Oh, God, Booms was right… my whole life I've been fuckin' people up like this!'_ suddenly Brick's vision blurred, and his head spun wildly, as blinding pain shot through it. He fell to his knees, and despite feeling the floor beneath him, he felt as though he was flying. 'Please, stoooooop!' he felt himself scream, though it wasn't his voice. He felt intense pain in his ankle, and then felt as though he was hurtling through the air. His vision began to clear a little but what he saw was not the hospital, but the vague shapes of City Park far below. Brick felt jerked around and he could hear a familiar voice call, "Hey, check this out!" For a second brick could feel his entire body ache. His arms were agony, his ribs had to be broken, his head was killing him, but the pain in his ankle was epic, almost drowning out the other pains. Then an unbearably loud noise sounded. Brick covered his ears, but it was useless, as the noise was replaced by utter and complete silence.

All at once everything was back to normal. Brick was kneeling on the hospital floor, sweating profusely. He looked up at the boy's sleeping form and tears welled in his eyes. 'That…' Brick looked down at his hands, realizing that he had just relived some of what he and Butch had done to that boy. That horrible feeling came back, and this time he knew it was guilt. _'What have I done…'_ it wasn't just the guilt from this one life he ruined, but the collective weight of eleven years of sinning. In a deep red flash Brick was gone, out the window and across town.

Brick had no idea how long he had been laying on his bed. Hours? Days? It didn't matter. He could lie there and rot for eternity for all he cared. What else could he do? Be a hero now? Try to redeem himself? The people would never accept him with all the trouble he'd caused over the years. Besides, he wasn't built to be a good guy; he'd probably do more harm than good. No, this was the best way to help the world was to keep away from it.

"_Why, Brick,"_ the red ruff bolted to his feet and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end as the effeminate voice drifted, not through the room, but through his skull. _"What ever has got you so down?"_ Brick spun around to see none other than Him sitting cross-legged near the headboard of his bed.

"The hell do you want?" Brick's eyes were narrow with distain. He had never liked the freak, not even when he was a bad guy.

"_Why, Brick, I'm only checking in on you,"_ Him said with fake hurt in his voice. _"Can't a loving father check in on his son?"_

"…I won't even bother to explain all the things wrong with that question, now get the fuck outta my room." The red ruff growled.

The demon shrugged_. "Fine, have it your way. Just let me know when you finally decide to give up."_ And with that, the red beast was gone in a wisp of pink smoke, leaving a very confused ruff behind.

"The hell was that about…" Brick wasn't sure. _'And what did he mean by "give up"?'_ The event was rather perplexing, but he eventually decided it was just one of Him's tricks, trying to keep him a bad guy. With a sigh, the red one fell back on his bed, and closed his eyes in deep thought about the entire situation. After nearly an hour, his eyes opened again. _'Maybe I _can_ help people.'_ He sat up. _'I won't be no hero, I'll never be… and redemption is definite no… but maybe I could do _some_ good, right?'_ a grin spread across his face. _'Yeah. I go somewhere no one knows me, and they might trust me easier.'_ He clapped and stood up. "Yeah, lets do this!" He quickly gathered up his things and headed for the window, but stooped looking back at his room a second_. 'What'll Boomer say when he realizes I'm gone? …he pro'bly won't even care. Boomer...'_ "Sorry." He whispered as he took off into the midnight sky.


End file.
